


Bad At Everything

by sleepifish



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bullying, Enemies to Lovers, Fighting, Growing Up Together, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:54:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28975431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepifish/pseuds/sleepifish
Summary: Porco has come to the conclusion that Reiner Braun is super duper annoying, and he’s bad at everything.
Relationships: Reiner Braun/Porco Galliard
Comments: 9
Kudos: 67





	1. bite the bullet, there's really nothing to it

**Author's Note:**

> i'm bad at summary but god i still try. 
> 
> anyway, i hope you enjoy! <3

Porco is twelve-years-old.

He sit by his own, on the right side of the bench with his opened book placed on top of his lap. Once in a while, he tears his gaze from the book page and to the field he’s facing – watching silently as his brother and his friends play football together. Porco doesn’t even make an attempt to join, but he’s still there to keep his brother companied so they can walk home together later. Marcel is athletic, despite his body is exactly the same size as Porco’s that it makes them look like a pair of twins, Porco is never half as athletic as his older brother is. 

His pair of dark blue eyes – almost a shade of grey – briefly attached themselves on a certain figure of a blonde-haired male. Reiner, it is his classmate, but somehow the blond always end up following him around, much to his annoyance, and eventually made friends with his brother and the friends of his brother. Porco really wants to roll his eyes at the funny-looking boy and just tell him to stop trying too hard that it makes him look an idiot, exactly what he’s doing right now as he keeps running back and forth to get himself the ball, but always being the slowest one. 

Porco has come to the conclusion that Reiner Braun is super duper annoying, and he’s bad at everything.

It is Science class, and Mr. Magath has asked them to build a model of the respiration system with all the stuffs they are given – some empty mineral water bottles, plasticine clay, plastic bags and more. They are also asked to do that in pair and Porco hates that he doesn’t talk to anyone else in the class, and Reiner is always following him around, so now it makes Reiner his partner as the dumb blond voluntarily joins him. Reiner will ruin it, he’s sure of it. He’s bad at everything after all, Porco thinks. 

“What can I do?” beams Reiner, and Porco has to hold himself from cringing too bad at the other’s excitement. And Porco just pretends deaf to Reiner’s words, working on the model on his own as he arranged the the bottles by side together, building his own plastic lungs. 

“Porco?” Reiner asks again, this time leaning his head close to Porco’s to observe closely at the thing Porco’s working on. It’s bad. Reiner’s too close that his lighter blond locks brush against Porco’s chin very slightly and really even though it is barely noticeable, the other male couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Nothing!” Porco growls, out of annoyance as he takes another step away, dragging the bottles with him. “Just stay still and watch. I’ll do it on my own.” 

Reiner is confused, it is written all over his dumb face. “But it’s a pair work?”

Why doesn’t he understand? Porco wants to ask. Why can’t Reiner just take the message that Porco doesn’t like him, at all? And leave him alone next? Porco misses the peace. Reiner is too obnoxious to the point he thinks he has to be by Porco’s side the entire time, and it’s creepy. Porco can’t even take a piss in peace these days without Reiner standing next to him, watching with his wide amber eyes in innocence. What’s next? Reiner’s going to help him hold his dick upwards while he pisses?

“I know.” He mutters shortly, ignoring whatever Reiner is saying afterward as he works on the model by himself.

“Come on, Porco!” 

Marcel pleads. “We’re short on one member! Please.” 

Apparently, Bertolt is sick and now they want to play football as they always do every evening. Porco takes a moment to think about it, he’s not good at it. But so is Reiner. So it is not that bad, having another person to be just as terrible. “Okay,” he answers, and Marcel seems very happy with that. “But just this once.” He warns, just in case Marcel thinks there will be more of it the next day and the day after. 

“Thanks, Porco!” 

And so the game starts shortly afterward. Porco is also a team with Reiner and he avoids passing the ball to Reiner, knowing the boy will just lose it a second after, and Porco is determined to prove himself. It’s his first try after all, and he just puts all his stamina into it. So he focuses on getting the ball to the goal, which he does, and lifts his right leg into the air before striking the ball straight into the goal. 

“Goaaal!” and he grins proudly at the cheer of his teammates. 

“That wasn’t bad at all for a first try,” a voice comes from behind him. Porco turns around to see Reiner offering him a kind smile. “You’re amazing, Porco.” Reiner continues, his childish voice low this time sounding genuine, and Porco can’t help the heat from creeping up to his face. He does expect this kind of compliment, but from Marcel and not this annoying kid he was supposed to hate. 

“Thanks,” he answers shortly, unsure of what to say.

“Can we walk home together?” Reiner asks, and Porco is instantly confused. He knows that Reiner usually has his mom picks him up, so why walk? Reiner seems to be reading his expression, though. “I told my mom not to pick me up because I want to walk with you.” Then he adds, “and Marcel.”

“Why?” he blurts out. He has enough of Reiner at school, and now this idiot wants to follow him around… even outside of the school too? 

“Aren’t we friends? We never hang out together after school,” answers Reiner. Porco tries not to think much of it but he can’t help it.

Friends. So Reiner has been considering them as that, and not just mere classmates like he does. 

“Sure,” he says. He just wants to get home fast, eat, take a shower and finally get to the part he can take a nap and arguing with Reiner right now will only waste his time. “But we have to wait for Marcel.” 

“Reiner seems to like you a lot,” Marcel starts as he writes down another number that he picks up from the calculator. Porco looks at his brother, as if he was serious, and he doesn’t just mean to make it sound… weird. “Maybe you should give him a chance and open up to him.” 

“He always annoys me,” complains Porco. “He can’t get anything right and he’s bad at everything.”

Marcel turns away from his calculator, to look at his younger brother. “You shouldn’t say that. Not everyone’s perfect,” he speaks calmly.

“Then Reiner’s terribly imperfect!” the younger one exclaims. “You don’t have anyone annoying following you around all the time with some stupid smile on his face – you don’t know what it’s like. He takes it to the point that he has to follow me every damn time I go to the toilet!”

Marcel laughs, “and that’s why he’s a good friend.”

A good friend? So Reiner’s good at something? And that something is being a friend of his? Porco snorts in fake amusement. Don’t be ridiculous, they’re not even friends. Not to Porco, at least.


	2. feel the rush and lose it all in a minute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small note to avoid confusion! :) 
> 
> Porco, Reiner, Bertolt, Annie are 12.  
> Porco and Reiner are classmates, while Bert and Annie are students from the next class.
> 
> Zeke, Marcel, Pieck are 13 and the three of them are in the same class.
> 
> I know in the anime Zeke is waaay older but just to make things easier I decided to make him the same age as Marcel and Pieck bc you know... 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy as much as I had fun writing this chapter!! <3

Nothing pisses Porco off more than knowing that his growth is slowing down – well, according to Marcel. His brother explained to him that his growth was rapid at the stage it wasn’t supposed to be, so now it’s slowing down until he reaches his late adolescence year. Porco groans, he was content being the second tallest – after Bertolt the Slenderman. Zeke doesn’t count because he’s older and Marcel is the same height as Porco – but now it seems like a certain idiot is about to grow to pass him. 

They measured their height during PE lesson earlier that day, and he is 159cm tall – the same as he was last year – and it frustrates him because it seems like he’s the only male in the class who’s not even growing even 1cm taller. Now it is lunch and they are sitting together at the café, the seven of them, and Reiner can’t shut up about his increasing height. Porco makes it a point not to say anything but roll his eyes occasionally. 

“That’s great, Reiner,” beams Pieck, and sometimes Porco is irritated at her kindness because it’s only supporting Reiner to go on and talk about something no one else cares about – or at least Porco doesn’t care about. The blonde idiot has been talking about how his height was 153cm last year, and now it is at 158cm so it’s pleasant to him that he has grown about two inches in the span of a year. “You better start drinking more milk and maybe you can beat Bert and Pokko!” 

“Yes, I will do!” Reiner grins happily, and Bertolt only chuckles lightly. “Then we can be twin towers together, right, Bertolt?”

“Why not?” Bertolt offers a kind smile. He’s always been quiet, most of the time and whenever he speaks it’s just kind words with a sickeningly kinder tone. He’s second next to Reiner at being annoying because he’s too unrealistically kind, Porco reckons but he doesn’t mind about it because unlike Reiner, Bertolt doesn’t bother him at all. Silence is better. 

Annie pokes at her food, only being there and doesn’t say a word because none of it catches her interest. It’s very rare for her to speak and there was once Porco used to think she was either deaf or mute or maybe both. 

“Porco should start drinking milk too! He doesn’t even grow an inch,” Reiner points out, amber eyes avert to his direction, and this is somehow offensive for Porco – not only to Porco but it should be to Marcel as well – but Marcel only laughs as he speaks. “Porco’s almost at his limit like I am, I doubt milk would do any good.” 

“Oh… I see,” Reiner only nods and hums, showing that he understands – Mr. Magath has explained this in class, he recalls. Early bloomers grow rapidly at one stage, then slowly during the next. So that explains why Porco and Marcel have a slightly deeper voice than most boys their age. 

Porco has his fist clenched under the table, teeth gritted tightly. Reiner the sore loser is growing, so what? He’s going to take over the world now? “Well, would you shut up, loser? I’m still taller than you.” If Reiner the idiot goes on any longer about ‘getting taller’, this fist Porco has clenched may land on his face without any hesitation. 

“Oi, oi, Porc, no need to get heated,” Zeke interjects with his voice almost serious, seeing how tense the other is. Reiner takes a brief moment to notice that maybe he has offended Porco, so he says nothing even with the other calling him a ‘loser’ supposedly hurts him. Instead, he apologizes, hoping he can owe up to it and it would not upset his friend anymore. “Right. I’ll shut up, sorry.” 

The other blond only rolls his eyes in annoyance and gets back to his food as they only have ten minutes before the next period. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

Porco keeps chanting – or praying – in his mind as he runs through the books inside his bag one by one. It’s not there, his History textbook. Did he forget it at home? It’s not possible, he remembers arranging it into his bag just last night. Sweats run down his forehead, the last Porco wants for today is having Mr. Smith yell at his face. The middle-aged man may seem calm to any other student, but whoever has the experience of getting on his nerve would say otherwise. 

Reiner who sits next to him notices that he is being at unease. The boy with the lighter blonde hair carefully pushes his own textbook to the middle of their desks so Porco can read the content as well. “Are you okay? We can share,” he offers. 

Oh no, Porco doesn’t want to feel like he owes Reiner one, so he pushes the book back to Reiner where he can have it all for himself. There’s no other reason for Reiner to want to act heroically. “Fuck off, I didn’t ask for it.”

Reiner frowns at his response. “But Mr. Smith will get mad at you for having nothing on your desk.”

Porco glares at him sharply, he has enough of Reiner being painfully nosey. “So? Won’t it be some comedy for you? Why do you care?”

The other only sighs in return, knowing that arguing with the headstrong male will earn him nothing, but still insists on having the History textbook in the middle of their desks. “You don’t have to read if you don’t want to. I just don’t want you to get in trouble,” he says, then turns his head to the teacher, who’s writing down the number of the page on the whiteboard. 

Porco purses his lips together. What now? Does Reiner think he is helpless just because he forgot to bring a textbook one day? Is Reiner going to laugh about it in front of their friends during the next lunch? What is Reiner’s intention? 

“Yes, he did that!” Porco ends his story with a groan. “After this, he’s going to bring it up, isn’t he? Like, he could use it as a thing to blackmail me. ‘Hey, Porco, will you do this bla bla bla for me? I helped you the other day, remember!’. Oh, he’s so going to do that. I knew it.” 

Marcel wipes the bread crumb at the corner of his lips with a small chuckle before parting his lips to comment on his thoughts. “Pock, I think that’s the point of having a friend. You help each other,” he says, then hands a plastic bag filled with buns to his younger brother. “You’ve been ranting, you forgot to eat yours.” 

“I don’t even feel like eating anymore,” Porco turns it down before going on to rant at his brother. “Marcel, did Zeke ever annoy you like this in class? I think all blonde people are weird. Annie is creepy – she’s so quiet and sometimes she will glare at people for no reason. You know what, she reminds me of Chucky but blonde. Reiner is just. Ugh. I can write a whole book about the reasons why he’s just- ugh!” 

At that, Marcel exhales a laugh and reaches his hand to mess his brother’s hair. “You’re a blondie yourself!” 

“Nooooo!” Porco swats Marcel’s hand away with the same small, playful energy. “I have dark roots. See? I’m sure eventually I will grow to have the same brown color as yours,” he states confidently as he holds his hair flat to the other side, revealing the roots to his brother. 

Marcel shakes his head in amusement with a smile still plastered on his face, “I don’t think so. Nope. You’re blonde like Mom.” 

“But her hair is black now!” 

“Yes, yes,” Marcel nods, “She colored it.” 

Porco only huffs at that. “Then I will color it too.” 

Then Marcel goes on about how Mom won’t allow him to color his hair at such a young age but Porco is no longer paying attention to him – he keeps thinking about Reiner helping him earlier that day at school, and he’s secretly grateful that he didn’t get yelled at by Mr. Smith even he won’t admit it. He almost feels bad about Reiner’s kindness after he acted like an asshole during lunch but he tries not to mind about it much as long as Reiner doesn’t say anything about it. 

The next day is longer than any other day and most definitely boring. Especially during Mr. Dok’s class.

Porco sighs to himself. Mathematics has always been boring because he is always lost and he’s not very good at it. Mr. Dok’s explanation just comes and goes like the breeze, none of the teacher’s word sticks to his brain. Porco occasionally glances at his own wristwatch, and they have five minutes before lunch. 

The last five minutes feel like five days, but finally, the period comes to an end and the bell rings – it’s finally time for everyone’s favorite period, lunch. Porco gathers his textbooks together and arranges them back into his bag, making sure his table is clear. And Reiner is there, waiting for him. 

“What? You can go first.” Porco says, not even looking at him as he takes his sweet time properly keeping his pencils back into his pencil box and have all of his stationary arranged in order. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask.” The other rubs at the back of his nape, he sounds sheepish for all the reasons Porco can care about. Porco shoots an eyebrow at him, giving him the permission to go on with whatever he has to say and not to waste his time.

“My mom is taking me to the museum this weekend. It will be only the two of us so I figure it’d be boring. Would you like to join?” Reiner’s straightforward question gains his interest, and he tilts his head questioningly.

“Just… me?” 

“Well, you can ask Marcel if you want,” adds Reiner as he explains. “Bert’s busy with his weekend tuition and Annie doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. She said her dad doesn’t let her go out with boys, but I know that’s a lie.” 

“What about your dad? Will he be there?” Porco doesn’t know why but Reiner’s invitation makes him feel slightly excited. It’s been a while since he has gone to the city, with his parents always busy with work and won’t let him go out without any adult’s supervision. 

But Porco notices that Reiner’s face falls at the mention of his father. “He.. uh, he passed away last year.”

“I’m... sorry.” Porco frowns. Last year? Then why didn’t Reiner tell him? Why doesn’t he have any single clue about it? He feels his heart tugs. Reiner has been dealing with it alone, and never once shows it to him. Surely Reiner must have been sad, losing his father, as Porco himself can’t imagine how painful that will be. But he doesn’t remember Reiner coming to school being all gloomy and depressed, because that boy had always been cheerful and always trying to make him – and everyone else – happy. 

‘Reiner, you idiot. Why did you have to deal with it alone? You could’ve just told me that you were having a hard time,’ Porco wants to say it out loud but he’s at loss for words. 

Fuck, thinking about it only makes him sad and angry at himself for always being an-

“It’s okay!” Reiner says, in a lighter tone in the hope he can change the mood. The last thing he wants is for his friend to be sad. He doesn’t want to seem pitiful too. “So, what do you think?” He asks again, this time with a grin on his face. 

“I..” Porco blinks. “Yeah, sure. I’ll ask Marcel.” 

Amber eyes widen in response, but quickly soften along with a smile. “I didn’t think you’d say yes this quick without at least having me insist.” 

Porco scoffs at that. “What? You want me to say no?”

At that, Reiner shakes his head. “No, no. It’s just…” he trails for a moment, thinking of a word to describe. “Pleasant. This Saturday, then?”

Porco finds a small smile making its way to his face as he nods his head in agreement. “Saturday sounds good.”


End file.
